Bourdon steam-gage.



PATENTED JAN. 10, 1905.

W I. STAAP.

BOURBON STEAM GAGE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 6, 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEBT 1.

INVENTOR Werner]. Stacf llllmiiill ATTORNEY No. 779,813. PATENTED JAN. 10, 1905, W- I. STAAP.

BOURBON STEAM GAGE.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 6, 1904.

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TTjHE- f6 57 if wrrm zsss: 5 INVENTOR L, I r I ATTORNEY PATENTED JAN. 10, 1905.

W. I. STAAP. BOURDON STEAM GAGE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 6, 1904.

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Patented January 10, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

WERNER I. STAAF, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

BOURDON STEAM-GAGE- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 779,813, dated January 10, 1905.

Application filed May 6,1904. Serial No. 206,602.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, VVERNER I. STAAF, a citizen of the United States,residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered new and useful Improvements in Bourdon Steam- Gages, of which the-following is a specification.

My invention relates to Bourdon gages.

The objects of my invention are, first, to produce a'gage of that type provided with two springs or arms, either of which may be connected with the pressure to be registered; second, to permit or allow instant drainage of either or both springs when either or both springs are disconnected from the pressure; third, to provide a valve by which the aforesaid objects may be attained; fourth, to provide a Bourdon gage with two arms, one registering vacuum and low pressures and the other high pressures, and, fifth, to make a novel dial from which these three indications may be read. 7

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of one form of my invention, the dial and the parts above it being removed; Fig. 2, a section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, the dial and parts above being in place; Figs 3 and 4:, sections on the lines 3 3 and 4 1 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5, a section through the valve and socket on the line 5 5 of Fig. 6; Fig. 6, a section on the line 6 6 of Fig. 5; Figs. 7 and 8, sections through the passages in the valve and its casing, showing the valve in its different positions; Fig. 9, a side and end view of the valve; and Fig. 10, a plan view of the registering-dial for use with the mechanism of my gage.

The registering portion of my invention is inclosed within a circular casing having the base or bottom 1 and the round or flange-like side 2, supported on the base. The glass cover 3 is clamped on the top of the side 2 by means of a screw-ring 1. At the lower side of the side 2 is the socket 5, having the two lateral ears 6, through alined holes in which and the side 2 the screws 7 are passed to secure the socket to the side. The portion 8 of the side 2 is separable from the main body thereof and may be secured to the shank 9 of the socket by the screw 10. The upper end or head of the socket has opposite lateral holes 11, somewhat elliptical in crosssection, in which are brazed or otherwise secured the lower ends of the hollow curved Bourdon springs 12 and 13. The holes 11 do not meet each other in the socket, but each communicates with a passage running longitudinally downward to a rotary valve 14. The hollow of spring 12 communicates with the passage 15 in the socket and the hollow of spring 13 with the passage 16.

. Secured to the base 1 isa plate 17, on which is mounted the two posts 18, supporting the top plate 19. Journaled in the plates 17 and 19 is the index-spindle 20, having the spring 21 to return the pointer 22 on the spindle back to Zero of the scale. The spindle carries a pinion 23, which gears with the segment 2t, secured in the block 25 on the spindle 26, pivoted in the plates 17 and 19. To the bottom of the block 25 is secured the plate 27, slotted for the reception and adjustment on the spindle 26. The block has an arm 28, through a slot 29 in which the screws 30 are passed to secure the plate 27 at any selected place. To the top of the block 25 is secured a plate 31, having the slot 32, through which screws 33 pass into the block. The plate 31 can be adjusted longitudinally by means of said screws. The right-hand end of the plate 27 is connected by a link 34 to one of the springs, as 13, and the plate 31 is connected to the other spring, as 12, by the link 35, the latter being shown in two sections, made adjustable by the slot 36 and set-screw 37. The links 34 and 36 have slots 38 at the joint connecting them to the springs 12 and 13 in order that the action of either spring may operate the pointer. By adjusting the plates 27 and correct pressure.

31 and the sections of the link 35, if necessary, the pointer can be caused to indicate the If for any reason the indications are inaccurate when the spring 12 only be in use, the pressure within it will slightly straighten it, causing the link 35 to rise and a registration to be made. At the same time the link 34 will rise, its slot 38 moving upon its pivotal connection with the spring 13.

39 represents the dial-plate beneath the pointer 22, and 40 is a stop-pin to prevent the segment 24 passing out of mesh with the pinion 23.

The valve 14 is a rotary plug having transversely through it the passage 41, having the two branches 42 and 43. The passage 41 extends from the periphery well into the body of the valve and then forks in the branches 42 and 43. The passage 44 in the lower part of the shank 9 is to be connected to a source of pressure to be measured. I/Vhen the valve is turned as in Fig. 7, pressure is admitted to the spring 13 by way of the passage 16. The passage 15 is at the same time connected with the passage 45 in the valve, the latter passage opening freely to the atmosphere at the end thereof, which is spaced at 46 slightly from the back of the valve-casing, as shown in Fig. 6, the space 46 being provided with the vent 47 to open to the air. hen the valve is turned as in Fig. 8, the pressure passes, by way of passage 15, to the spring 12, and the passage 16 and spring 13 are open to the air by way of the passage 46 in the valve, the space 46, and the vent 47.

The vent 47, the space 46, and the passage 45, 48, and 49 act as exhaust-passages for the springs and connected passages 15 and 16. If both springs are to be cut off, the turning of the valve to cause the exhaust-passages 45 and 49 to register with the passages 15 and 16 at once allows the steam or gas in the springs to expand and force all the liquid out, so that there will be no liability of the passages being stopped with ice or any part of the gage being broken by ice, as shown in Fig. 5. When one spring has been in use, the other spring is permitted to discharge freely all gases and liquids therein.

As shown on Fig. 1, the end of the valve has a triangular stem 50, carrying the indexarrow 51. The letters L. R, and S around the valve-stem and on the valve-casing are arranged so that when the index 51 stands at L the left-hand spring is supplied with the pressure, as in Fig. 8, when it stands at R the right-hand spring is in communication with the pressure, as in Fig. 7, and when it stands at S both springs are shut off from pressure, as in Figs. 5 and 6. One of the springs, as 13, is constructed of thinner or different material or otherwise so constructed that it will be sensitive to lower pressure than the other spring or will even indicate vacuum-pressures.

In Figs. 1, 2, and 5 the spring 12 is shown lighter than the spring 13 and would be used only when the valve-index is turned to L or so that the pressure is admitted to the spring 12 only. The pointer 22 will in this case be read only in connection with the inner circle 52 of readings, shown running from O to thirty pounds, and are intended only for low pressures, (indicated by L P on Fig. 10.) If, as often occurs at gas -wells, a vacuum should exist, the pointer will move in the opposite direction along the fine scale 53. (Marked VAC on Fig. 10.) In case pressure is supplied to the spring 13 only, the readings will be taken from the outer circle 54, which runs from O to one thousand pounds. The provision of the inner or second scale of a short range is valuable, as there is usually some slack to be taken up in the mechanism before the pressures will be accurately registered, and as it would be practically impossibleto read'small pressures accurately where a movement of, say, an eighth of an inch by the pointer would indi cate ten pounds. With the other scale ten pounds is indicated by amovement of approximately one-thirtieth that by which the same pressure is indicated on the inner scale. So it is easily seen that low and vacuum pressures can best be measured on a separate scale or by a separate numeral on the same scale.

While I have described the precise mechanism shown, I do not desire to. be restricted to the same in every particular, as the same may be departed from in various ways, as in the number of parts or their location or size, without in the least departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a gage, a pair of independent Bourdon springs, one having a greater range of movement than the other for the same pressure, an indicator, means connecting each spring with the indicator, a dial having thereon two series of readings one for high and the other for low pressures.

2. In a gage, a pair of Bourdon springs, one having a range for indicating high pressures and the other for low pressures, a dial, having a series of readings for high pressures, a series of readings for low pressures, and a series of readings for vaeuum-pressures, an indicator connected to the springs and cooperating with the readings on the dial to indi cate high pressure, low pressure, or vacuum, as the case may be.

3. In a gage, a pair of Bourdon springs,

having difierent ranges of movement and a single indicating means connected to and operable by each spring separately.

' 4:. In a gage, a pair of Bourdon springs, one having a larger cross-section than the other and a single indicating means connected to and operable by each spring separately.

5. In a gage, a dial having a series of readings for high pressures, a series of readings 10 for low pressures, and a series of readings for vacuum-pressures in combination with a single indicator, and apair of Bourdon springs connected to such indicator, one spring cooperatively related to the readings for high pressures and the other to those for low and vacuum pressures.

Signed at Pittsburg this 3d day of May,

WERNER I. STAAF. Witnesses ELVA STANIEK, A. M. STEEN. 

